Hurricane Katrina threatens Terrebonne, Lafourche

Barbera Clay (right) of Houma buys a generator and other storm supplies from cashier Bessie Alexander Saturday afternoon at the Home Depot in Houma. More than 300 generators were sold Saturday at the Martin Luther King Boulevard store, employees said.

JIM CENAC/FOR THE COURIER

By SETH FOXThe Courier

Published: Sunday, August 28, 2005 at 6:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, August 27, 2005 at 11:15 p.m.

While most forecasters predicted the storm would hit farther east, probably near New Orleans, the margin of error was high enough to include a significant chance Katrina could make landfall Monday in Terrebonne or Lafourche as a Category 4 hurricane, causing severe flooding and wind damage.

It would be the strongest storm to hit Houma-Thibodaux since Hurricane Andrew, which hit Aug. 26, 1992. In Terrebonne alone, Andrew destroyed 360 homes and damaged another 2,900, causing $55 million worth of damage.

The last time Louisiana or Mississippi were hit by a Category 4 storm was in 1969, when Hurricane Camille killed 143 people in the two states.

Terrebonne Parish President Don Schwab said there will be a mandatory evacuation for residents south of the Intracoastal Waterway at 6 a.m. today if the storm continued on the path it was taking Saturday evening. The rest of the parish will be strongly advised to evacuate as well.

"Everyone seems to have a difference of opinion on this storm, but it's best to err on the side of caution," Schwab said. "Everyone needs to use judgment about going where you feel you are safe."

Lafourche Parish issued a mandatory evacuation order Saturday afternoon for residents south of U.S. 90. Earlier, a mandatory evacuation was issued for residents south of the Leon Theriot Floodgate in Golden Meadow, as well as Grand Isle. A voluntary evacuation order was in effect Saturday afternoon for the rest of Lafourche.

"We are strongly considering a mandatory evacuation parishwide beginning (Sunday) morning if there is no significant change in the path of the storm," Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolph said Saturday. "We are urging citizens to gather all the supplies they need today because many stores anticipate being closed tomorrow. Boat traffic is also urged to move further inland today."

Lafourche officials scheduled meetings for late Saturday and early this morning to consider further actions.

Public and parochial schools in Terrebonne and Lafourche will be closed Monday, as will government offices in both parishes. Emergency officials urged local residents to prepare their homes and families and stock up on supplies. Gas stations, home-improvement stores and groceries were packed Saturday as local residents stocked up on essentials.

State Police enacted contraflow at 4 p.m. Saturday, turning three interstates into one-way highways headed out of harm's way. Parts of Interstates 10, 55 and 59 were converted to one-way roads.

A CATEGORY 4

The storm was expected to make landfall in southeast Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane, said meteorologist Carl Arredondo of WWL-TV in New Orleans.

Arredondo said hurricane models are constantly changing, but on Saturday afternoon, it appeared that Grand Isle was the most likely landing point for the storm. Katrina was expected to make landfall between 7 and 9 a.m. Monday.

"By (Sunday) morning, we should have a pretty decent idea of where landfall is going to be within 30, 40 or 50 miles," Arredondo said.

The Houma-Thibodaux area was still a potential landfall location, he said. The western boundary of the hurricane watch was extended Saturday from Morgan City to Intracoastal City, La., and the eastern boundary of the watch shifted from Pearl River to the Florida-Alabama border.

"You can easily have winds up to 100 or more than that," Arredondo said.

TORNADOES AND FLOODING

While tornadoes are more frequently found to the east of the storm, Arredondo said some of the feeder bands west of the eye could bring tornadoes to the area. The northern winds associated with the western side of the storm should minimize local flooding from storm surges, Arredondo said, as water will be pushed to the northeast.

"You might still have some flooding from the rain," he said.

In terms of how bad flooding will be locally, Terrebonne Emergency Preparedness Director Mike Deroche said Houma will be far better off if the storm makes landfall to the east rather than the west. If the storm hits to the east like the Grand Isle area, a predicted north wind will help push a lot of the water out of the Houma area. That would be the best-case scenario, and flooding shouldn't be too bad.

However, Deroche said, if the storm made landfall in Morgan City or Lafayette, the Houma area could face major flooding. A 15-18 foot wall of water, called a storm surge, would be possible. The extent of flooding in that situation would depend on a lot of things, such as rainfall amounts and whether there is a high or low tide.

Jerome Zeringue, director of the Terrebonne Levee and Conservation District, said his agency planned to close its floodgates at low tide Saturday.

"Everybody should be in and tied up at least by then," Zeringue said.

FLOODGATES CLOSE

Floodgates -- strewn across lower parts of the parish -- are closed in an effort to stem flooding north of them. Boaters caught south of the floodgates after they are closed faced the prospect of having their boats stuck there until the gates are reopened, sometimes after the storm has passed.

Zeringue said he would like to reopen the floodgates around noon Sunday but could not guarantee conditions would allow for that to happen.

In Lafourche, floodgates remained open Saturday afternoon to allow for incoming boat traffic.

"We think we can get people in all the way through (Sunday)," said Windell Curole, manager of the South Lafourche Levee District.

Curole said there was a possibility floodgates could close earlier than expected if weather conditions change.

"If (the storm) starts pushing water up, we're going to have to shut down," Curole said.

South Terrebonne High School in Bourg was opened as an evacuation shelter at 4 p.m. Saturday. The Larose Civic Center and Thibodaux High School were opened Saturday as shelters in Lafourche Parish.

About two dozen oil rigs and platforms in the Gulf had been evacuated by Saturday afternoon, and more evacuations were expected Saturday night and today, according to the U.S. Minerals Management Service. Four of the platforms and five of the rigs are from the Houma area, with the rest from the New Orleans area.

STAY OR GO?

Amy Lirette of Dularge recently underwent surgery to remove tumors from her abdomen. She does not have the strength or stamina to travel or take precautions to protect her 1-year-old home from the hurricane. But the soft-spoken woman took comfort in her family Saturday as her father who lives next door and a nearby uncle secured her storm shutters.

"Hopefully, it's for nothing, but I don't feel very good about it," said Lirette, who observed the storm precautions from a plastic chair in her driveway. "My family takes care of each other. I know they'll stay close to me."

Carolyn and Frederick Washington enlisted two family members to travel to Fishermen's Retreat in Theriot Saturday afternoon and help the couple secure their pink vacation home from the storm. Like many fishing-camp owners, the Washingtons, who live in Houma, spent the day shuttering windows and locking up supplies.

Carolyn Washington said her family plans to seek shelter at a family member's home in Magnolia, Ark., late Saturday or early this morning. Sticking around is not an option, she said.

"We're not nervous, but we're being smart about it. We're prepared," she said.

'I'M STILL ALIVE'

David Songe, 30, said he is determined not to leave his Theriot home, even though his wife, Daisy, would prefer to head to higher ground. David Songe was loading up a truck with sandbags Saturday, and he hopes they will be enough to keep water from flooding his home.

"The storm is something I take seriously, yes, but I rode out the last three storms, and I'm still alive," said Songe. "I don't know about my wife, though. She's ready to bail."

Ennis Luke of Dulac spent Saturday morning helping his wife, Mary, a teacher's aide at Grand Caillou Elementary, clean up her office at the lower-bayou school. A few hours later, he headed south to secure property he owns on Shrimpers Row.

The Lukes plan to evacuate to Houma because most hotels in north Louisiana and Texas are booked, Ennis Luke said.

"We're basically preparing for a monster," he said.

Frank Bradford of Morgan City was in Bobtown Saturday to secure rental homes he owns along Bayou Grand Caillou. Bradford and his tenants said they would not leave for the storm, but the landlord had an arsenal of wood in his pickup truck to board up doors and windows.

"I'm concerned, but I won't leave," said Bradford. "A lot of people don't want to leave."

This report includes contributions from Courier staff writers Jeremy Shapiro and Kimberly Solet, as well as WWL-TV in New Orleans, which has a news partnership with The Courier.

<p>HOUMA -- Mandatory evacuations were expected this morning for parts of Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes as Hurricane Katrina threatened southeast Louisiana.</p><p>While most forecasters predicted the storm would hit farther east, probably near New Orleans, the margin of error was high enough to include a significant chance Katrina could make landfall Monday in Terrebonne or Lafourche as a Category 4 hurricane, causing severe flooding and wind damage.</p><p>It would be the strongest storm to hit Houma-Thibodaux since Hurricane Andrew, which hit Aug. 26, 1992. In Terrebonne alone, Andrew destroyed 360 homes and damaged another 2,900, causing $55 million worth of damage.</p><p>The last time Louisiana or Mississippi were hit by a Category 4 storm was in 1969, when Hurricane Camille killed 143 people in the two states.</p><p>Terrebonne Parish President Don Schwab said there will be a mandatory evacuation for residents south of the Intracoastal Waterway at 6 a.m. today if the storm continued on the path it was taking Saturday evening. The rest of the parish will be strongly advised to evacuate as well.</p><p>"Everyone seems to have a difference of opinion on this storm, but it's best to err on the side of caution," Schwab said. "Everyone needs to use judgment about going where you feel you are safe."</p><p>Lafourche Parish issued a mandatory evacuation order Saturday afternoon for residents south of U.S. 90. Earlier, a mandatory evacuation was issued for residents south of the Leon Theriot Floodgate in Golden Meadow, as well as Grand Isle. A voluntary evacuation order was in effect Saturday afternoon for the rest of Lafourche.</p><p>"We are strongly considering a mandatory evacuation parishwide beginning (Sunday) morning if there is no significant change in the path of the storm," Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolph said Saturday. "We are urging citizens to gather all the supplies they need today because many stores anticipate being closed tomorrow. Boat traffic is also urged to move further inland today."</p><p>Lafourche officials scheduled meetings for late Saturday and early this morning to consider further actions.</p><p>Public and parochial schools in Terrebonne and Lafourche will be closed Monday, as will government offices in both parishes. Emergency officials urged local residents to prepare their homes and families and stock up on supplies. Gas stations, home-improvement stores and groceries were packed Saturday as local residents stocked up on essentials.</p><p>State Police enacted contraflow at 4 p.m. Saturday, turning three interstates into one-way highways headed out of harm's way. Parts of Interstates 10, 55 and 59 were converted to one-way roads.</p><h3>A CATEGORY 4</h3>
<p>The storm was expected to make landfall in southeast Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane, said meteorologist Carl Arredondo of WWL-TV in New Orleans.</p><p>Category 4 hurricanes pack winds between 131 and 155 mph, with storm surges between 13 and 18 feet.</p><p>Arredondo said hurricane models are constantly changing, but on Saturday afternoon, it appeared that Grand Isle was the most likely landing point for the storm. Katrina was expected to make landfall between 7 and 9 a.m. Monday.</p><p>"By (Sunday) morning, we should have a pretty decent idea of where landfall is going to be within 30, 40 or 50 miles," Arredondo said.</p><p>The Houma-Thibodaux area was still a potential landfall location, he said. The western boundary of the hurricane watch was extended Saturday from Morgan City to Intracoastal City, La., and the eastern boundary of the watch shifted from Pearl River to the Florida-Alabama border.</p><p>A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions are possible within 36 hours.</p><p>The Terrebonne-Lafourche area would benefit from a Grand Isle landfall, Arredondo said, because the worst weather is typically found on the eastern side of hurricanes.</p><p>Regardless, Arredondo said, Houma-Thibodaux should expect anywhere from 5-15 inches of rain and hurricane-force winds.</p><p>"You can easily have winds up to 100 or more than that," Arredondo said.</p><h3>TORNADOES AND FLOODING</h3>
<p>While tornadoes are more frequently found to the east of the storm, Arredondo said some of the feeder bands west of the eye could bring tornadoes to the area. The northern winds associated with the western side of the storm should minimize local flooding from storm surges, Arredondo said, as water will be pushed to the northeast.</p><p>"You might still have some flooding from the rain," he said.</p><p>In terms of how bad flooding will be locally, Terrebonne Emergency Preparedness Director Mike Deroche said Houma will be far better off if the storm makes landfall to the east rather than the west. If the storm hits to the east like the Grand Isle area, a predicted north wind will help push a lot of the water out of the Houma area. That would be the best-case scenario, and flooding shouldn't be too bad.</p><p>However, Deroche said, if the storm made landfall in Morgan City or Lafayette, the Houma area could face major flooding. A 15-18 foot wall of water, called a storm surge, would be possible. The extent of flooding in that situation would depend on a lot of things, such as rainfall amounts and whether there is a high or low tide.</p><p>Jerome Zeringue, director of the Terrebonne Levee and Conservation District, said his agency planned to close its floodgates at low tide Saturday.</p><p>"Everybody should be in and tied up at least by then," Zeringue said.</p><h3>FLOODGATES CLOSE</h3>
<p>Floodgates -- strewn across lower parts of the parish -- are closed in an effort to stem flooding north of them. Boaters caught south of the floodgates after they are closed faced the prospect of having their boats stuck there until the gates are reopened, sometimes after the storm has passed.</p><p>Zeringue said he would like to reopen the floodgates around noon Sunday but could not guarantee conditions would allow for that to happen.</p><p>In Lafourche, floodgates remained open Saturday afternoon to allow for incoming boat traffic.</p><p>"We think we can get people in all the way through (Sunday)," said Windell Curole, manager of the South Lafourche Levee District.</p><p>Curole said there was a possibility floodgates could close earlier than expected if weather conditions change.</p><p>"If (the storm) starts pushing water up, we're going to have to shut down," Curole said.</p><p>South Terrebonne High School in Bourg was opened as an evacuation shelter at 4 p.m. Saturday. The Larose Civic Center and Thibodaux High School were opened Saturday as shelters in Lafourche Parish.</p><p>About two dozen oil rigs and platforms in the Gulf had been evacuated by Saturday afternoon, and more evacuations were expected Saturday night and today, according to the U.S. Minerals Management Service. Four of the platforms and five of the rigs are from the Houma area, with the rest from the New Orleans area.</p><h3>STAY OR GO?</h3>
<p>While many southern Terrebonne residents heeded the voluntary evacuation order, others stayed put.</p><p>Amy Lirette of Dularge recently underwent surgery to remove tumors from her abdomen. She does not have the strength or stamina to travel or take precautions to protect her 1-year-old home from the hurricane. But the soft-spoken woman took comfort in her family Saturday as her father who lives next door and a nearby uncle secured her storm shutters.</p><p>"Hopefully, it's for nothing, but I don't feel very good about it," said Lirette, who observed the storm precautions from a plastic chair in her driveway. "My family takes care of each other. I know they'll stay close to me."</p><p>Carolyn and Frederick Washington enlisted two family members to travel to Fishermen's Retreat in Theriot Saturday afternoon and help the couple secure their pink vacation home from the storm. Like many fishing-camp owners, the Washingtons, who live in Houma, spent the day shuttering windows and locking up supplies.</p><p>Carolyn Washington said her family plans to seek shelter at a family member's home in Magnolia, Ark., late Saturday or early this morning. Sticking around is not an option, she said.</p><p>"We're not nervous, but we're being smart about it. We're prepared," she said.</p><h3>'I'M STILL ALIVE'</h3>
<p>David Songe, 30, said he is determined not to leave his Theriot home, even though his wife, Daisy, would prefer to head to higher ground. David Songe was loading up a truck with sandbags Saturday, and he hopes they will be enough to keep water from flooding his home.</p><p>"The storm is something I take seriously, yes, but I rode out the last three storms, and I'm still alive," said Songe. "I don't know about my wife, though. She's ready to bail."</p><p>Ennis Luke of Dulac spent Saturday morning helping his wife, Mary, a teacher's aide at Grand Caillou Elementary, clean up her office at the lower-bayou school. A few hours later, he headed south to secure property he owns on Shrimpers Row.</p><p>The Lukes plan to evacuate to Houma because most hotels in north Louisiana and Texas are booked, Ennis Luke said.</p><p>"We're basically preparing for a monster," he said.</p><p>Frank Bradford of Morgan City was in Bobtown Saturday to secure rental homes he owns along Bayou Grand Caillou. Bradford and his tenants said they would not leave for the storm, but the landlord had an arsenal of wood in his pickup truck to board up doors and windows.</p><p>"I'm concerned, but I won't leave," said Bradford. "A lot of people don't want to leave."</p><p>This report includes contributions from Courier staff writers Jeremy Shapiro and Kimberly Solet, as well as WWL-TV in New Orleans, which has a news partnership with The Courier.</p>